A Human is a Dog Demon's Best Friend
by wolfgrl1423
Summary: One-Shot. A curse turns Sesshomaru into a pint size version of his dog demon self, and it's up to Rin to find a way to change him back!


A/N: Another one-shot from yours truly =) It's just a cute little side adventure that I pictured happening slightly post-cannon, say six or seven months later. Rin is still little in this one, and there isn't any romance per-say in it. Rin is simply Rin =) Enjoy!

* * *

"Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin questioned as she gazed up at her youkai guardian. He graced her with a sideways glance before she realized that it was his cue for her to continue.

"Will we be traveling far today? Jaken hasn't been in the best of moods lately," she stated as she looked back at the toad youkai who currently had his back to the two. He had been sulking like that for a few days, and hardly ever spoke, even to Sesshomaru.

"Jaken," Sesshomaru called to him sternly, the tone of his voice an order for his servant to speak. Jaken visibly flinched before he turned to glance at the two with teary eyes.

"Sesshomaru-sama...you can be so cruel," he sobbed as he stared at the Inuyoukai unhappily, "you didn't even allow me to help you on _that_ day,"

"You were ordered to never speak of it again," Sesshomaru reminded him icily. Jaken let out another sob before he tore his eyes away from them and fell into the field of flowers at his feet.

"Please forgive me, Sesshomaru-sama! But how could you have relied on Rin over me? She's only a mere human, while I am a skilled and powerful youkai! Surely _I_ could have cured you better than she did!" he insisted in a mumble as flower petals flew up into the sky.

He missed the Inuyoukai's ever rare eyebrow twitch at the suggestion, and the rock that was hurriedly thrown at his head. He let out a pained squawk before he blacked out completely with tears still streaking down his cheeks.

(Begin Flashback)

"Good morning Jaken!" Rin chirped happily as she shook the toad youkai awake. He grumbled that she was a lowly human and shouldn't even be touching him before he was roused by the sound of his lord's boots walking away from them. He jumped to his feet with the determination of not be left behind with Rin again before he hurried after the much taller youkai.

"Sesshomaru-sama! Wait!" he exclaimed as he rushed after his lord. He could hear Rin's giggles as she soon caught up to him, and then quickly passed him. He hissed in displeasure, and cursed the fact that he had such tiny legs that prevented him from reaching his lord before Rin did.

He soon lost sight of the two when he was forced to stop and catch his breath. If only he were younger and taller. Surely then all of his problems would be solved.

* * *

"Rin," Sesshomaru called to his ward when they arrived at the resting spot he had found the night before. It was an open field filled with one of Rin's favorite flowers. When she caught up to him her eyes widened at the sight of the immense flower bed before she gazed up at Sesshomaru excitedly.

"Are we really staying here?" she exclaimed in disbelief, only to squeal in delight when Sesshomaru nodded. He found her behavior over such silly things amusing, and stood idly by as she got her fill of the sights and smells of the field.

Much like an inu pup, Rin used her sense of smell to navigate around the area. In a way, it was as if she were scenting the field for new smells that she had yet to experience. She paused in her sprint to wave at Sesshomaru for a moment, and then quickly returned to her joyful exploration when he acknowledged her greeting with a nod.

He stood at the edge of the clearing for awhile, easily amused by Rin's boundless energy, before he realized that Jaken was not with them. Where at the youkai gone? His curiosity soon evaporated when he realized he didn't particularly care. Jaken had always found his way back to the group. Sesshomaru didn't need to waste any of his time or energy searching for him.

A moment later Rin's screams caught his attention. His eyes narrowed dangerously at the shrill sound before he spotted her trapped in the middle of the flower bed. Her body was constricted by vines that had shot out of the flowers themselves.

She stood perfectly still, but Sesshomaru didn't miss the fear in her dark eyes. Angered but not threatened by the plants Sesshomaru easily unsheathed Bakusaiga before he jumped into the patch and cut the vines that held Rin prisoner.

She hurriedly fell onto the other flowers in field, but otherwise looked unharmed. Sesshomaru straightened his stance before he noted a strange cloud of dark red smoke emit from the torn vines.

"I've finally caught you, Sesshomaru-sama!" a deep voice chuckled as the Inuyoukai glanced dismissively at the cloud that began to surround him, "soon you will become powerless, and mine for the taking!" the voice added.

Mildly irritated by whatever youkai had conjured up the strange cloud, Sesshomaru slid Bakusaiga through it. His eyes narrowed slightly when the cloud merely mended itself.

"Your sword cannot harm me, Sesshomaru-sama!" the voice laughed again, "now suffer my curse as the beast that you truly are!" it seethed just before the smoke violated Sesshomaru's senses. His eyes widened at the invasion of the smoke, but did not cower away from it.

If the youkai desired to destroy him from the inside out, then he would be sorely disappointed. His main source of power was withheld within his humanoid form, attacking that part of him was pointless. Already bored with the situation, he sheathed Bakusaiga and began to walk out of the cloud.

"You cannot escape! It's already too late to evade the curse that I have put on you," the voice informed him. Sesshomaru merely ignored the troublesome youkai's words as he exited the cloud.

When his vision was clear once more he glanced at Rin, but frowned slightly when she appeared much larger than usual. Instead of looking down at her like he was used to, he was looking up at her shocked face instead.

"Sessh – Sesshomaru-sama?" she asked him nervously as she moved forward to approach him apprehensively.

"Yes, it is me. Why would you ask such an obvious question?" Sesshomaru scolded, but didn't hear his voice when he spoke. Instead, a collection of small yips and barks echoed in the clearing.

His eyes widened slightly at the sound before he glared back at the cloud of smoke still in the clearing.

"Have you figured it out, Sesshomaru-sama? I have cursed you to forever remain as the beast you truly are, but stripped of all of your power. You will remain like that until you break the curse that I've put on you, which is very unlikely in your case. Enjoy the remainder of your days as a dog, you ungrateful beast!" the voice explained before it chuckled once more.

Sesshomaru snarled at the cloud before he made a jump for it, but the cloud disappeared before he could reach it with his tiny claws. He landed in the flower bed with a slight thud and noted the white fur covering what were once his arms. His hands had also been replaced by tiny paws with even tinier claws.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" he heard Rin call out to him worriedly before the little girl approached him and gently scooped him up in her arms. He was indeed small, but based on the sounds of the girl's distraught grunts as she tried to drag him out of the field, not terribly small.

He hung loosely in her embrace as she tugged him out of the field, and gingerly set him on the grass as she took a moment to catch her breath.

* * *

"This is bad," Rin murmured worriedly as she glanced back at Sesshomaru, or rather the dog that had taken her lord's place, "how can we break the curse that youkai put on you, my lord?" she asked, though let out a sigh when the dog merely glanced back at her with empty red eyes.

She supposed she should have known that the dog was Sesshomaru, but she had never seen him in his true form before. He had the markings similar to the ones on his humanoid face, and the color of his fur mirrored the color of his hair. But besides those two factors Rin wouldn't have known that her lord was standing – or rather lying – right in front of her.

To say that she was stunned by his transformation was an understatement. The only positive part of the ordeal for Rin was how cute Sesshomaru looked as a dog. So used to his humanoid form, she was both intrigued and charmed by the miniature "true" form of her lord.

Rin had the oddest urge to try and pet the dog, but knew that she would never do that to him if he were in his human form. If the act would offend him in his natural state, then doing it while taking advantage of his small stature would only offend him further.

Rin held in a sigh as she plopped down on the ground next to him in deep thought. She needed to think of a way to change him back, but how? She wouldn't be able to do it alone. She contemplated for a moment before she was struck with an idea.

She grinned from ear to ear before she turned to Sesshomaru.

"We have to go, my lord," she beamed before she hurriedly stood and grabbed hold of him. He squirmed in her embrace, but soon gave up when she began walking back towards Ah-Un. His back paws dragged against the ground in between Rin's legs as she hobbled forward, trying her best not to trip over him as she walked.

Thankfully Ah-Un had been waiting close by, and came to meet them when it noticed Rin's approach. She heard the dragon snort slightly at the sight of the dog in her arms, but it did not fight her as she struggled to push Sesshomaru onto the saddle.

Ah-Un even used one of its two heads to help her get the dog into the saddle, and then Rin as well. She smiled at the dragon before she patted the head that had helped her affectionately.

"We have to help Sesshomaru-sama," she told it sternly before she wrapped one arm around Sesshomaru's stomach and held the pup against her while she held onto Ah-Un's reigns with the other.

The dragon grunted slightly before it waited for her next command. Rin looked from the pup in her arms to the dragon unsurely before she let out a sigh. Her lord wouldn't like it, but Rin needed to enlist the help of his half-brother Inuyasha and his miko mate.

"We have to go to Inuyasha's village," she told the dragon and patted Sesshomaru's side to settle him when he growled slightly, much like she would do with an actual dog. The action seemed to infuriate Sessshomaru further for he growled even louder after the pat.

"Forgive me, Sesshomaru-sama," Rin apologized with a nervous giggle, "we'll break this curse soon, I promise! I won't rest until you've returned to your true form, my lord," she promised him hotly before she urged the dragon to fly. Ah-Un replied without question, and they quickly lifted into the sky.

* * *

Ah-Un landed a safe distance away from the village as Rin glanced around for the Kagome or Inuyasha. She had hoped to catch one of them outside of the village instead of being forced to enter it. She wasn't particularly comfortable around big groups of humans, and the sight of Ah-Un would surely drive them into a frantic state of panic.

Rin glanced around the forest uncertainly, and suddenly doubted her plan. What if this was a bad idea? Could Inuyasha merely attack her lord in such a state, thinking it to his advantage to kill his brother rathe than help him? Fear overtook her suddenly as she grabbed onto Ah-Un's reigns. She could figure out how to break the curse on her own. She wouldn't risk her lord's life on a whim.

"Rin-chan!" a male voice called out to her kindly in greeting. Rin flinched at being spotted before she turned and noted in vague surprise that the monk friend of Inuyasha was walking towards her. She remembered how he had protected her once before, and felt slightly safer.

"Miroku-sama," she greeted respectfully in return. Miroku smiled up at the little girl before his violet eyes landed on the pup in her arms. His eyebrows rose in surprise before a gentle smile spread across his face.

"Did Sesshomaru-sama give you a pet, Rin-chan?" he asked, but blinked in surprise when the dog openly bared his teeth at him. Rin let out a nervous giggle before she released Sesshomaru and hopped off Ah-Un's saddle.

"It isn't my pet," Rin informed the monk, "it's Sesshomaru-sama," she added meekly.

"This is...Sesshomaru-sama?" Miroku asked back in disbelief before he took a moment to survey the dog, "I suppose I can see that. He has the same markings," he observed. Rin nodded before she turned to help Sesshomaru down, but he easily jumped out of the saddle on his own.

Rin beamed at him, happy that he had gained some of his energy back. It was somewhat of a relief to know that she wouldn't need to drag him around anymore.

"How did he end up like this?" Miroku asked curiously as he stared at Sesshomaru. The dog stared back at him solemnly for a moment before his red eyes glowed menacingly and he growled in warning. Miroku let out a nervous chuckle before he cleared his throat and politely looked away.

"Someone put a curse on him!" Rin exclaimed, "I don't know how to break it. I was hoping Inuyasha or Kagome would know how to," she added as Miroku nodded his head in understanding.

"I see," Miroku murmured before he began searching his robes for something. Rin watched him curiously before blinking in confusion when he pulled out a pile of paper with strange characters written on them.

"Perhaps I can burn away the curse," Miroku stated, "don't worry, Sesshomaru is too powerful to get purified himself," he reassured her when he noted her worried glance.

"But he's supposed to be powerless," Rin murmured, and Miroku's eyes widened slightly before they softened.

"Interesting. It seems I shall have to specify my scrolls on the curse itself, so that it won't harm Sesshomaru-sama at all," he replied before he began whispering a fury of incantations. Rin watched in awe as the paper on top of the pile began to glow before it shot out at Sesshomaru.

He didn't even flinch when it latched onto his side, and it glowed white for a moment before it fell harmlessly to the ground a moment later. Miroku let out surprised grunt at the rejection of his scroll, and immediately sent out another. Followed by another, and another, and yet another.

Before long, Miroku's pile of papers had disappeared into nothing more than crumpled bits of scraps around Sesshomaru's feet. The monk angrily glowered at the sheets before he composed himself and crossed his arms over his chest in thought.

"It seems I am powerless to help your lord," he concluded, "but I shall enlist the help of the others in the village. We'll get Sesshomaru back to normal in no time," Miroku smiled, and Rin grinned back at him. Sesshomaru merely scolded the two with another growl as he sank to the ground and rested his jaw against his front paw.

It seemed her lord was growing weary already, and Rin surveyed him worriedly as she wondered if the curse had really taken all of his power. Was he really reduced to a mere dog?

Miroku hurried into the village with a promise that he'd find help, and left the trio there. Ah-Un grunted unhappily before it joined Sesshomaru on the ground and shut it's eyes to go to sleep. Rin approached her lord gingerly before she sat next to him and rested her hand against his side.

"We'll fix this, Sesshomaru-sama," she promised confidently, even though she didn't feel that way at all. He glanced up at her nonchalantly before he huffed lightly and turned his gaze away.

Rin could understand his lack of enthusiasm at the situation, but he had to understand. Inuyasha wasn't all bad, and had even saved her life on occasion. If he were willing to help someone associated with Sesshomaru, than he would definitely do all he could for Sesshomaru himself.

Rin sat with her hand rested against Sesshomaru's side until Miroku returned with Inuyasha and Kagome in tow. The two newcomers gazed at Sesshomaru's form in astonishment before Inuyasha broke out into laughter.

"That's Sesshomaru?" he asked in between his manic laughter. Rin glared at the hanyou's lack of compassion and hurriedly got to her feet before she rested her hands on her little hips.

"Yes it is, and you shouldn't laugh at others' misfortunes!" she chided as she angrily pointed at him, "you should help him instead!" she insisted, and noted the look of surprise on the hanyou's face at her directness.

"There's no way I'm helping that ungrateful – "

"Inuyasha," Kagome droned out angrily, "Sesshomaru needs our help, and we're going to do all we can for him whether you like it or not,"

"Keh! What makes you think I'll do what you say, wench?" Inuyasha replied hotly, though shrunk away when fire burned dangerously in the miko's eyes.

"If you don't try your very best to help break this curse on your brother...By gods I'll sit you until you make a hole big enough to reach the other side of the plant. Do you understand me, Inuyasha?" she seethed in warning, and the hanyou visibly gulped before he turned away with the annoyed twitch of his left eyebrow.

"Fine," he reluctantly agreed.

"Now that's more like it," Kagome beamed before she turned to glance back at Rin, "now what exactly does this curse on Sesshomaru entail, Rin-chan?" she asked the little girl sweetly.

"The youkai just said that Sesshomaru would turn into his 'true' form, and that he'd be powerless. It also said that he'd never be able to break the curse because of who he was," Rin described before she glanced hopelessly at the ground. They just had to be able to break the curse on Sesshomaru. She simply couldn't let her lord down!

"Maybe I can purify the curse," Kagome murmured as she approached the dog and placed her hands near his face. She shut her eyes briefly as she tried to focus her powers on something around him, and her power sparked against a red barrier that suddenly appeared around the dog.

Kagome's eyes shot open in surprise before she stepped back slightly to gaze at the barrier. It shined around his form for a moment before it faded away completely.

"Strange, my miko powers can't penetrate whatever barrier that curse put on him," she murmured, perplexed.

"Maybe Tetsusaiga can rip it open," Inuyasha offered excitedly as he unsheathed his sword and held it taunt before the dog. Sesshomaru growled at him before he huffed and turned away from the hanyou altogether.

"Don't think that just because you're powerless I'll spare your life," Inuyasha threatened with a smirk. Kagome glared daggers at her mate before she shut her eyes defeatedly.

"You're impossible," she muttered under her breath, "put Tetsusaiga away," she added a little louder so that Inuyasha could hear her. The dog ears atop his head flicked at the sound of her command before he did as she said, albeit rather angrily as he muttered something under his breath.

Kagome then turned apologetic eyes to Rin as the little girl's shoulders slumped.

"There's nothing else you can do?" she asked sadly as the miko shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Rin-chan," Kagome replied, and genuinely sounded upset about not being able to help them. Rin sent her a grateful smile before she nodded solemnly.

"If all else fails tonight, come back tomorrow," Miroku offered suddenly, "Sango and Kohaku should be returning from their rounds then. If Sesshomaru is still like this tomorrow, bring him back and we'll see if they can offer any help,"

Rin nodded at the monk before she glanced back at her lord sadly.

"Forgive me, Sesshomaru-sama. I've failed you," she murmured defeatedly. Sesshomaru growled softly at her words before he rose and approached her.

"Rin-chan..." she heard Kagome murmur worriedly in return. When Sesshomaru reached her side he pressed his head against her arm lightly before he pulled back. It wasn't an embrace by any means, but Rin took the action as a sign of reassurance and smiled sadly at the pup. Rin then went to awaken Ah-Un as Sesshomaru hopped onto the dragon's saddle, and Rin sat behind him.

"Thank you for your help. If I can't break the curse tonight, you'll be seeing us tomorrow," Rin stated as she grabbed hold of Ah-Un's reigns. The group bid them farewell as Ah-Un took to the skies, and flew back to their previous location.

* * *

Rin gazed out at the field of flowers where the curse had taken place earlier that day, and let out a sigh of defeat. What was she going to do? Her lord couldn't stay a dog forever. There just had to be a way to bring him back.

As if reading into her thoughts, Sesshomaru approached her solemnly before he collapsed beside her. He had gone to replenish his stomach and thirst, and looked completely spent as he laid out on the grass next to her.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" she called to him uncertainly. The pup rose his head before he turned to gaze up at her. She smiled down at him nervously before she extended her arms out towards him.

"I know I'm not worthy to ask this, especially after failing you, but would you allow me to pet you, my lord?" she asked sadly as she inched her hands closer to his dog form. His head cocked to the side at her question before he turned his head away from her. Rin's expression fell at his rejection before her eyes burned with unshed tears.

She would have started crying had he not gotten to his feet and plopped down on her lap. She felt his little body go limp against her as he shut his eyes. Rin blinked away her tears as she gently rested her hand against his shoulder blades, and then let it slide along his back. When he didn't growl at her touch she repeated the stroke.

When she grew more confident she began to scratch as well as stroke his back. His fur bristled at her touch, but he didn't fight her off. It wasn't until she began to scratch behind his ears that he actually leaned into her hand. She giggled at his enjoyment while his tail rhythmically thumped against her knee.

She would have kept going had Jaken not rejoined the group. He glanced at Rin in surprise before he let out a squawk when his eyes landed on the dog in her lap.

"R – Rin! What is that beast doing in your lap?" he exclaimed, "do you know what Sesshomaru-sama will do to me should he see you with such a creature?" he scolded her before he flinched when the dog growled loudly at him, seemingly offended by Jaken's description of him.

"Jaken-sama!" Rin giggled as she grabbed for the dog and hoisted him up, "this is Sesshomaru-sama!" she informed him as the toad youkai's jaw nearly dropped to the floor as he rushed forward to survey the dog.

"What did you do to him, Rin? Surely he isn't going to be stuck like this?" he asked in outrage, and Rin lowered Sesshomaru slightly as she looked away in shame.

"I tried to break the curse that's on him, but I couldn't do it," she murmured sadly.

"Curse?" Jaken parroted back as he puffed out his chest, "do not fret, Rin! I shall find a solution to our lord's dilemma!" he assured her before he hurried off into the forest. Rin smiled at Jaken's enthusiasm before she turned Sesshomaru around in her arms so that they could look at each other.

"What happens if we can't break the curse, my lord?" she asked uncertainly as she stared at the dog. Sesshomaru barked softly, and yipped a couple of times but quieted when Rin looked even more clueless than before.

"My lord!" they heard Jaken's voice cry out triumphantly as he reappeared with a collection of berries in his grasp.

"These berries will cure you, my lord! You simply need to eat them and you shall return to normal," Jaken informed them excitedly as he presented them to Sesshomaru. He sniffed the fruit for a moment before he idly swished them away with his tail. Silent tears trailed down Jaken's cheeks before his expression hardened.

"You would know best, my lord. I will simply look for something else!" he said before he disappeared once again into the forest. This time, when he returned he held a collection of oddly colored rocks.

"This will surely cure your ailment, my lord! I'll set up a circle with these rocks, and when you enter you shall transform back!" he assured Sesshomaru as he set up the tiny circle. Sesshomaru and Rin watched him as he worked, and when he was done Rin released Sesshomaru from her hold but he did not move. Instead he shut his eyes dismissively.

Jaken's mouth fell open at his second rejection before his disappeared once again into the forest. They followed similar motions until Jaken was too exhausted to keep looking. He slouched against the tree next to Rin in defeat.

Rin looked down at Sesshomaru sadly as he gazed up at her before he let out a soft bark. She smiled slightly at him before she gently cupped her hands under his shoulders and hoisted him up so that they could look at each other eye-to-eye.

"I love you Sesshomaru-sama," she told him confidently, and waited for some type of reaction. When he did nothing at all, she continued, "and I'll love you no matter what form you're in too! Even if you are forced to be a dog for the rest of our lives, I'll still love you," she assured him firmly.

"Stop talking so foolishly, Rin," Jaken warned her, "you are but a child. What would you know of love?"

"Sesshomaru protects me, even when it could put his own life in danger! No one's cared that much about me before, so of course I love him! I'm what got him in this mess in the first place," she murmured sadly before she gazed back at the pup.

"But I meant what I said," she told him, "I'll follow you forever, like I promised, no matter what form you're in," she added meekly before she brought the pup closer and gently placed a kiss atop his head. She pulled back to smile at him, but paused when she noted his form begin to glow.

She hurried to place him on the ground, but she wasn't quite fast enough. His form doubled in size as the pup was quickly replaced with Sesshomaru's human form. Their roles had switched as well. Where Sesshomaru had been in Rin's lap a second before, Rin now sat in his as her eyes brightened.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" she exclaimed excitedly as she threw her arms around his neck. Jaken whirled around at Rin's cry before his eyes widened.

"The curse was broken by a kiss? I could have thought of that!" he hurriedly interjected as his eyes grew large in envy. Sesshomaru merely ignored him and placed a hand atop Rin's back as she suddenly began to tremble against his much wider frame.

"I was so scared that you'd stay like that forever, and that you'd hate me for failing you," she revealed as her body continued to shake against him. He gently shushed her soft sobs before he tugged her arms loose from around his neck.

"I am perfectly fine," he assured her flatly. Rin stared at him in worry as she stifled a sniffle before she nodded her head.

"I'm glad, Sesshomaru-sama," she replied meekly with a watery smile.

(End flashback)

Jaken awoke to find himself alone in the clearing and glanced around helplessly.

"Sesshomaru-sama? Rin?" he called out worriedly, but when there was no response he called out to them again. He droned out their names as he continued to walk.

He had to find his little group fast, or he'd be left behind for good. Just the thought drove Jaken to keep searching and calling out his lord's name. When he eventually did catch up to them, he'd make sure to latch onto Sesshomaru like a leech. He'd never let the Inuyoukai out of his sight again.

* * *

A/N: So, a cute little one-shot that I thought up today =) hope everyone liked it!


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